Who Cares About the Color of Obama’s Cabinet?
Tom weighed in on a trending story about the lack of color in President Obama’s cabinet. Tom isn’t at all concerned about the color of Obama’s employees, so long as they’re working together to turn this country around. Check out what our fans had to say:

Why Do Black Folks Especially Feel That This President is the second coming he is a human being just like the rest of us subject to mistakes and not putting more BLACKS and WOMEN in his cabinet is one of them,they were good enough to get him to the party but not good enough to help him get this country back on track!!!–Michele Inge

The president has so much pressure on him ad it is people. Pump your breaks. He already under a microscope. Be honest too many black folks in the kitchen something is bound to burn. Then there goes more complaints. Let the man try to do his job to the best of his ability. Cause if your not part of the solution then your part of the problem. IJS–Yoshicka Snow

It is not about Diversity, it is about selecting the best people for the jobs to get us out of this mess created by the last Administration. Patience is a Virtue, so give him cooperation to make this a better place for us and our children regardless of Race, Creed or color. Be Blessed!—Sarah Walker

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR 1st LADY… I PRAY THAT YOUR BIRTHDAY IS AS BEAUTIFUL AS YOU…!!!— Renee Weathered

Happy birthday may God bless you and keep you you touch so many females all ages all races stay the strength and vessel that God has to continue his works I truly have a respect and love for you thank you First Lady Obama—Melissa Ba Jeffrey-Bartlett

Robin Roberts is Ready For Her Comeback
We all love Robin Roberts. The degree of strength and grace she has shown throughout her cancer ordeals is inspiring. Many of Tom’s Facebook fans are praying for Robin. Here are a few of our favorite comments:

I will pray for you sweet robin . My mother at 81 faced that , and recovered . She turned 94 this last September.—John Carrillo

Robin, you are an inspiration. My co-worker and I were diagnosed with breast cancer a month a part. We both feel, if we had to have cancer at least we were able to do it together. Having another support person helped a lot.—Melanie Grizzle

—

Photo Gallery – Celebs Who Got in Trouble for Using the N-Word
The new movie “Django Unchained” has caused a lot of buzz, especially for its use of the N-word throughout the movie. This week Django’s director, Quentin Tarantino, also raised eyebrows when he used the N-word during a press conference. You had much to say about it:

My question is how can we expect others to respect us n we don’t respect ourselves! When a white person kills one of ours we’re outraged, when we kill one of our own its just another day at the office! Smh.—Dexter Harris

When our beloved Richard Pryor visited the mother land and saw what he did, he swore that a “N” like himself, would never use the “N” word again. No doubt it was used back in slavery, but to use it now is worth “A Mighty Ass Whipping” Ya Heard!!!!!— Waymon Gorham

—

NRA Video Targets President Obama’s Daughters
In an ad created by the National Rifle Association, the organization criticized President Obama for wanting gun control laws while using the U.S. Secret Service to protect his daughters. Did the NRA cross the line by using the Obama children in the ad? Many of you thought so:

The NRA will say anything to keep their flow of killing machines into the streets. Got Blacks killing blacks and then you have GZ’s gunning down blacks. If our youth aren’t dead they are in jail. It’s a annihilation of a race. No need for the KKK.—Crystal Dillard

Such stupidity runs rampant….what president doesn’t have secret service for family…just more ignorance!!!!!—Rita Karson

The POTUS’ children are in a different circumstance than others. The idiot NRA likes to stir up empty controversy and should be ashamed and embarrassed for such nonsense.—Diane Franklin

The African Americans until they stop blaming other races for their problems no it will never end. It’s not my fault 80 percent are in our prisons, it’s not my fault that that they keep having babies and not paying support for them, it’s not my fault they can’t finish school and make a decent life for themselves. Colin Powell I always thought he was for all Americans but he’s just as racial as the rest. Shame on you Mr Powell, I’m sorry for me to ever believe in you.—Mary Heitzenrater

Thank you Mr. Powell for keeping it real!—Georgetta Floyd

I Watched this Sunday Morning and He started from Why he endorsed President Obama in 2008 and the last elections The republican could not produce a candidate that could Win the election, The group as a whole still operating on that Good Ole boy system. He also talked about voter suppression laws…. Mary, I didn’t see any racism or blame he Told the Truth the way it was and the way we saw it and you too… One more thing Mary remember the Joke; If you want to keep something from a black man put it in a book. Guess what, Black men read and not only do they read they can make intelligent decision. Point taken remember we understand that we have power in the vote and your guys did too that’s why they tried to stop us… Something to think about Mary and all of the people who think like you….—Jacqueline J McLean

—

Manti Te’o Girlfriend Death Apparently a Hoax
The story of Heisman candidate Manti Te’o has been one for the record books. He claimed to have lost both his grandmother and girlfriend on the day of a big game. But the story that Te’o’s girlfriend never existed got you talking:

I’m so sick of this story…make an example out of this family for deception….All other peeps customs and believes are not of America.. and we must show all cultures we have rules…..—Nelda Bailey

I don’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth…saw this story on HLN over and over again and for some reason I feel like he wasn’t being fooled; he was trying to pull a fast one! (I see you Te’o!) The man needs treatment!—Dolphine Johnson

This person is a liar and should. not be trusted. He really should be made out of a example when the draft picks come around.Leave him playing childish games with his little kiddie friends.Enough is enough….—Deb Burrell

24. Me & Vanessa Williams giving #DuckLips #Pose on the set of #DaytimeDivas @vh1 - Coming Soon to a tv near you. Lol. - My make up done by @makeupsurgeon

Source:Instagram
24 of 30

25. This picture just makes me wanna praise the Lord, you hear me!!!!!! Yes Lord brotha #TEDDYCAMPBELL What a #man !!! You are everything right on this picture husband ......... #gorgeous #stylish #classy #strong #masculine #king #sexy #debonair #gentlemenstyle And that #bible in your hand just seals the deal for me (probably cause i know that, that is what helped you become just as amazing as you look😘). While my heart and mind experiences the goodness of God at #church on Sundays, my eyes experiences the goodness of Teddy😍. Amen somebody🙌🏽. "Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name" #myman #myhusband #goodman #blackman #dapperman #godlyman #goodfather #mybestfriend

Source:Instagram
25 of 30

26. Yesterday was my mama's 53rd birthday!!!!! Got to celebrate with her all day. If this is what I have to look forward to I can't wait. Looking like a soft bucket a cocoa butter. Yaaaaaaaaaas! 😍😍😍 love you mommy!

Source:Instagram
26 of 30

27. "Shout out to @PureAtlanta for getting the family right"....I'm loving this jogger. 😍😍

29. You will always be my baby😜. #HappyBirthdayReginae #mybaby18

Source:Instagram
29 of 30

30. GC "Gods Child" Red on Red SweatSuit available now at www.MonicaApparel.com ... Take Your Crown wherever you go!! I'm pictured in a Medium... Go to the site now for other options ... cc: @trukernell

Source:Instagram
30 of 30

Continue reading TALK BACK: BAW’s Top Comments of the Week

This Week’s Celebrity Instagrams (11/26-12/2)

4 thoughts on “TALK BACK: BAW’s Top Comments of the Week”

Set a cloth over the silk and fusible fabric being careful not to pucker the material under the cloth. Press the iron on the fabric to seal them together. the length of time varies depending on the type of fusible fabric; read the instructions. Thanks.

I am unsure if this is the correct environment to post this on, however, I will do it for my brother anyway. I am also unsure if this is the correct website to post this on because the website he sent me doesn’t exist.

“I APOLOGIZE”

For not listening when you expressed your concern for the way I was living my life.
I apologize for not carrying the torch that men such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr, Barack Obama, and most importantly to me, my Grandfather.
I apologize for victimizing you when I call you a bitch or a hoe, plus physically and mentally abusing you.
I apologize for being a dead beat dad, and not being a man and taking care of my responsibilities.
I apologize for not being a living example for young Black boys to follow.
I apologize for being a part of destroying our own community by being a gang member and selling illegal drugs to our own people.
I apologize for not educating myself and for taking the easy way out by committing crimes against our own people.
I apologize for leaving you fight for yourself and for not being that protector of the little Black girls I was created to be.
I apologize for being the stereotypical Black man. They say the Black man is the race of men who commit most of the violent crimes in America and who they say is the cause of AIDS/HIV in our community.
I apologize for not being able to standup to society when dishonoring you as nothing more than a sex object.
I apologize for not holding all my fellow Black brothers accountable for the way we misuse the beautiful mother of humanity.
So please beautiful Black Queens and Princesses, please forgive us for not being the head of our nation and not loving you unconditionally like a King is supposed to!
I sincerely apologize for my crimes and injustice to the mother of humanity, the Black woman!
To all my Black Queens and Princesses, I love yall.

Why we celebrate
By, Dr. Millicent Thomas
January 20, 2013 will be a tremendous day for all Americans as we welcome the second term of President Barack Obama. As we approach this historical day, I cannot help but to reflect on our past, present and future.
On a hot August afternoon, my family and I sat in our public housing unit and watched from what would be considered an antique thirteen inch television screen enclosed in an over sized wood carved box as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated,
“…And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
The annals of his speech challenged centuries of a miss-education of African Americans. Kitchen table discussions, bus stop antics and board room policies, all agreed that the African-American, was an emotional race of people who could not critically think, problem solve, or multi-task. Willie Lynch (1712) promoted a psychological mandate that caused members from this target group to distrust each another while promoting the superiority of members of the white race for centuries. Yet, the war for American Independence (1770-1776) found many African-American soldiers fighting for a freedom not to be found before, during or after the war. One hundred years later, the war of 1812 found many African-Americans, like Charles Ball, a self-appointed freed man fighting against the British. Throughout American history African Americans have held strong a belief in the American dream. Yet, inherent laws forbade any inkling of obtaining the rights of freedom and all its benefits. What the fugitive slave laws of 1820, 1850 and other crippling laws coupled with the mandate of Willie Lynch did not do, members of the 20th century desperately tried to accomplish; enter Margaret Sanger.
While the Americanization movement sought to establish a homogenized country, during the early years of the 20th century, Margaret Sanger, creator of (today’s) Planned Parenthood thought and sought differently. Her purpose was to eliminate undesirables through the use of sterilization; undesirables like African Americans and poor immigrants.
It is interesting to note that 200 years past the physical and mental genocide, the attempt to wipe out a race of people could not be done. It is also interesting to note that while Sanger was promoting her agenda, the US Department of Health and Welfare showed an interest in ‘the black problem’.
The Civil war had ended. African-Americans who were illiterate and having no social skills flooded northern states. Many were loiters, homeless, and they painted the picture that Margaret Sanger used in her presentations-‘a drudgery on society’. The US Department of Health and Welfare contacted members of the United Way, formerly known as the Community Chest to research America’s ‘black problem’. Sociologist, Dr. Gunnar Myrdal was summoned from Sweden to research this problem. With the assistance from Arnold Rose and Ralph Bunch, a nation-wide research project was undertaken. The study resulted in a two volume document; The American Dilemma, 1944 to the Present. After thousands of pages of interviews, statistics and other qualitative methods, the essence of this research stated very clearly that if you give an African-American a chance, success will be gained in any area! You may ask, “What happened to Dr. Myrdal?” His passport was revoked. He was sent back to Sweden. My research has not uncovered if he was welcomed back. A decade or so later, Dr. Ralph Bunch, who was the active with the National Urban League, Inc. and NAACP and negotiator for an armistice between Palestinians and Jews, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize was said to have drowned while swimming in South Africa; although the place of his death is listed in New York City. The kitchen table and barber shop discussion debate the place of death. Arnold Rose was able to develop a condensed copy of The American Dilemma, 1944 to the Present entitled, The Negro in America, last printed in 1948.
Like so many, I remember the days of hearing conversations of what a child of color could not do; could not accomplish. Mainstream society used great energy to ensure African-Americans would live a sub-standard life. The infamous IQ test was the platform used to propagate this myth. For many years, this biased test was the educational barometer to track and channel students away from a college preparatory curriculum. Interestingly, as education progressed, there were African American teachers who also victimized the victims- African-Americans. Ray Rist (1971) Teacher Expectation and Self-Fulfilling Prophecy is a stark example of black-on-black crime without a pistol or knife. African-American teachers separated African-American children by tables: Champions (extremely bright future), Cardinal (potential for a very bright future) and Clowns (no hope for a bright future). These are my assessment and italics. Jeannie Oaks (1987) in Keeping Track, depicted the inequality of elementary and secondary education. Interestingly, African-American students, in spite for the barriers and challenges began to excel on standardized test. And, surprisingly, the rules of education changed. All teachers had to be tested and certified; not because African American students were not failing but they were excelling at a higher rate than majority students.
We fast forward to the 21st century. A great deal has occurred. A new day has dawned! We celebrate these years as we reflect upon the dark days and always maintaining the sight of that bright light at the end of the road. We celebrate our president Barak Obama and the first lady, Michelle. Kitchen table and barber-shop discussions paint a picture of how president Obama is called (from his first four years in office) every derogatory name known to man starting before he was elected. John McCain held such low regard that he would not extend his hand during the first presidential debates. Mrs. Obama adorned the cover of the July, 2008 New Yorker Magazine as a gun toting, 1960’s very large natural bush hair style while, the then Mr. Obama was adorned as a Kaddafi look-a-like. Shortly after the election, I watched CNN news as a load of white male politicians descended from a bus on their way to the White House to tell the president of the United States how the political game would be played. I could not believe what I saw or heard. I could not help but to ask, ‘Where is David Dukes? The white sheet and hood must have an invisible cloak. J.K. Rowling must have shared Harry Potter’s Christmas present. The invisible cloak could not hide the true feelings of the bus riders. One prominent politician publicly stated that the goal is to make sure the president is not re-elected. (Well, surprise…surprise) The more the bus riders challenged, criticized, sabotaged and the like, the greater the focus of President Obama and the sophistication of our First Lady was personified. Thank God, the images have changed. The magazine cover photos reflect a respect for the office and the first family of America.
We celebrate another four years as a result of we the people, loudly stating we want and need President Obama! He personifies leadership with high ethical standards, style and grace. Remember the light at the end of road? Well, we have it now! If we stay focused on our goals and live a life where we are helping more than ourselves, we can all celebrate continuously!. Now, we pray for president Obama and his family, for there is nothing that the nay-sayers-bus rider will not do to attack our president’s agenda. The 27st Psalm states,
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of
my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes,
came to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though a host should encamp around
me; in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of
the Lord and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in his
pavilion; in the secret of His tabernacle, He shall hide me. He shall set me upon a rock
and now shall mine head be lifted up upon mine enemies round about me: therefore will I
offer sacrifices of joy. I will sing praises unto the Lord. …
It is very interesting that as the thirteen colonies were in the process of becoming, these United States of America, history reflect similar passages were read during their held meetings. We need to keep the light. Let it shine ever brighter. I call everyone to celebrate, celebrate, and celebrate some more!

It saddens me that HATRED is still so rampant in America today. I look at the tweets and blogs on all websites and I am taken aback of how HATEFUL people are. I waould also like to see more attention given to the unemployment of African-Americans. I am a professional in pursuit of employment for over a year now and I am constantly reminded that my skill set is not enough. If you have an Assoicate Degree that want a Bachelor’s if you have a Bachelor’s Degree that want a Master’s all seems to me to be a detorrent for African-American employment. Is this a conscious effort of the “powers” that be to strike back at the fact we have a Black Man as our Presidents. Can someone speak to this dilemma? It never seems to be a topic, WHY????